KDKA-TV reported Dixon died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital early Wednesday due to a blood infection.

Dixon was the health director from 1992 to 2012. His accomplishments at the health department include the launching of a school-based dental sealant program and an HIV reporting system. He opened a $4 million health lab in 2009 and was instrumental in Allegheny County's meeting of EPA air quality standards in 1996 for what was the first time.

Dixon's tenure ended abruptly in March 2012, when the department's board voted 7-0 with one abstention to let him go. Dixon said at the time that Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who had just taken office, wanted him out.

"For over 20 years, Dr. Bruce Dixon was the ultimate public servant, dedicating his life to serving the needs of the residents of Allegheny County through his direction of the Allegheny County Health Department," Fitzgerald said in a prepared statement. "The time and dedication he committed to the department during his tenure was extensive. While we differed in how the Health Department should move forward, the service he provided was admired and will not be forgotten soon."

Dixon was born Nov. 3, 1938, and graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, where he also earned his M.D. in 1965. He was an intern and resident at Duke University in Chapel Hill, N.C., and had been associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh since 1979.

In addition to his time at Allegheny County Health Department, Dixon had been CEO and chairman of Allegheny Correctional Health Services Inc.

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